I Did It For You
by gnarwhals.food.unicorns
Summary: "I'm sorry I couldn't save you. Oh my god, I'm so sorry." She's different from the others-she had a choice of going into the Maze. She had a choice between living in safety or living with the one person she loved. She chose the Maze. But when she gets in there, she can't remember a single thing except her name-Tessa.
1. Welcome to the Glade

**Chapter 1**

 **Welcome to the Glade**

* * *

Tessa dove past the guards, slamming her hands into the chest of one of them, and punching another.

"Someone stop her!" someone yelled but no one was getting in the way of her. She had to see him again. She had to before everything was over. Diving into the Box, Tessa landed with a grunt and fell blood pouring out of a cut on her arm. She did her best to ignore it as she felt the Box start to rise and up to the Glade. But before she could do anything else, everything went dark, and Tessa fell back against the hard box without another sound.

* * *

She finally woke up after a very long time. She was no longer in the Box, she could tell that, but she couldn't remember anything either. What was her name? What was going on? She let out a breath and tried to grasp onto something. Tessa.

"My name is Tessa," she whispered and then opened her eyes. She was in a strange hut with two boys standing at the edge of the bed she was laying on. They weren't facing her, but she knew that if she made any other noises, they would kill her. Tessa moved her head to the side, taking in her surroundings and saw a syringe about three steps to her left. Silently creeping forward, she grabbed the syringe and dove at her captors. The larger one, who was African-American spun around with surprising speed and caught her arm. But she had been moving too fast and the boy still tumbled down.

"Hey! Hey! Calm down!" the boy cried out, but Tessa only rolled to the side, sweeping the other guy's feet out from under him. She sprinted out of the strange hut and found herself in a grassy area with other huts and a lot more boys.

"What…what the...?" she muttered and nearly dropped her syringe. Before Tessa could do anything, someone tackled her to the ground and ripped the syringe out of her hand. She struggled and normally would've one in a fight but she was too weak and surprised. Her arm was bandaged and her head felt like someone had pounded it with a hammer several times.

She looked up to see an Asian boy grinning at her, his deep brown eyes mischievous and his dark hair was perfect. "Hey there," he winked at her and helped her up. In a flash, she turned and kicked him in the face.

"Hey!" someone yelled. "Stop!" Tessa ignored them and started to run again. But the Asian boy hadn't been knocked out entirely and he started to chase her. "Hey stop! We're not going to hurt you!" But Tessa wasn't that stupid. No way in hell was she going to die. She slowed down enough for the boy to get right behind her and she somehow managed to fly backwards through the air and land behind the boy. She tackled him to the ground and pinning his arms down, she punched him in the face. But she was disoriented and exhausted, and he shoved her off of him. He tackled her and wrapped a strong pair of arms around her.

"Calm down you shank!" he growled, trying to control her.

"Get off of me!" she screamed and stomped on his foot. The dark skinned boy that had been in the weird hut jogged up to them with a worried expression. The other guy that had been in the hut was right behind him. She flung her head back and hit her captor in the head.

"Hey! Calm down!" the dark skinned one shouted and put his hands up as if he was saying he wasn't going to hurt her.

"Get the fuck off of me!" Tessa screamed and drove her elbow into the Asian's boy's chest. He yelped and loosened his hold on her. She took advantage of that and leapt past him and started to sprint away. She could see that there were openings in the strange stone walls that surrounded her, but there was something very dark and almost scary about them. Tessa noticed a vast stretch of clustered trees, and she raced towards them.

* * *

She stumbled past trees and managed to avoid the roots that protruded in and out of the ground. Gasping a bit, Tessa crumbled to the ground and shuddered. The strange forest was dark and the shock that had come with her was slowly going away. But Tessa was frightened more than anything. Where was she? Why couldn't she remember anything? What was going on?

Tessa groaned and decided that it would be best to find some sort of concealment; she was so tired and felt that she would collapse if she didn't rest. Pushing herself up, Tessa stumbled past a couple trees until she found one suitable enough for her purposes and scrambled up it. Pulling her hood over her head, she fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

It was way to bright when Tessa finally woke up and opened her eyes. Disgruntled and still sore being tackled to the ground, she noticed that there was a torn bandage on her arm; though the pain in her head had gotten worse. Had she hit her head on anything?

Tessa was just jumping down from the tree when she heard voices coming towards her, "Alby, where do you think she is? We can't spend all our time looking for her. What if she's dead?"

"Quiet, Gally. She's a Greenie, even though she is a girl." Tessa tensed up and cautiously took several steps back, praying they wouldn't hear her.

"Just listen to me! Don't you think it's a little strange?"

"Yes, yes, but we're in the shucking Glade, surrounded by walls and a Maze. What isn't strange?" the other boy replied. Tessa, who's eyes were filled with fear, decided that she had had enough and sprinted away before they could catch her. But as she ran, she couldn't help but wonder, what was the Glade? What Maze were they talking about? And then, who were they? Who was she?

But of course, before Tessa could find another hiding spot, someone tackled her to the ground and then everything, for what seemed like the thousandth time, went dark.

* * *

Her vision was blurry and her arms and legs felt like smushed jelly. Groaning, she almost screamed when she saw where she was. It was a badly made structure that seemed like it was supposed to be some sort of cell. Criss crossed sticks and ropes surrounded her and the air smelled of dirt and sweat.

"Help!" Tessa started to scream, her voice was croaky and her throat sore. She probably sounded like a dying frog. "Somebody! Help me!" Her voice had shrunk to a low whimper and her whole body shook.

A boy appeared; his blonde hair was curly and down to his chin, his clothes were dirty, and scariest of all, there was a sword strapped to his back.

"Get away from me!" Tessa hissed and scooted back as far as she could go.

The boy sighed and knelt by the cell, "I'm not going to hurt you, love. Okay? Just bloody calm down, and I'll explain everything." His kind face smiled at her, and Tessa felt herself relax. She was still tense but, she nodded slowly and sunk to the floor.

"This is called the Glade. Each month, a new Greenie, a new person, is sent to us, along with supplies that keep us alive. We've been here for a year. You're the twelth Greenie that we've ever had and the first girl. Nick's our leader and Alby's the second-in-command. I'm a Runner," the boy said slowly, as if he was explaining multiplication to a three-year-old.

Tessa sighed in exhaustion and gazed at his face. There was definitely something familiar about it, but she couldn't figure it out. Just like everything else, Tessa couldn't remember anything, not even her own family. Did she have parents? Did she have a brother or a sister? Were they looking for her?

"Pay attention," he said. Tessa rolled her eyes but returned her focus to him. "We're surrounded by a Maze. We've tried to look for a way out the whole time we've been here, but we've had no success. That's what a Runner does; we look for a way out."

Tessa stood up, brushed off the dirt and pieces of grass and plants that had clung to her shirt, and said, "I don't suppose you could let me out of this hell hole?" The boy laughed and pulled open the door.

"We call it the Slammer. Hopefully, you won't have to spend anymore time in it again," he smiled at her. "My name's Newt." He stuck out his hand, and she shook it. "Have you remembered your name yet?"

Tessa nodded feebly and said, "Yes. It's Tessa."

"Well, Tessa. Welcome to the Glade."

* * *

 **Hello everyone! This is my second TMR fanfic; check out my other one, Gone, if you can, please! Please review and tell me what you guys think!**

Quote: "Pass the damn ham, please." -To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)


	2. The Tour and Minho

**Chapter 2**

 **The Tour and Minho**

After Newt had given her a bag that had some clothes in it and other "feminine" supplies, Tessa headed to the showers. As she got closer to the interesting looking structure, it was clear that it had been made by hand and little tools. Several wooden boards were crooked and a couple nails stuck out. Nevertheless, Tessa was impressed that the few boys that were there had managed to built such a structure and the other buildings.

After making sure that none of the boys were in the bathroom, she ducked in the shower stall and closed the curtain. She peeled off her sweaty clothes that were covered in grime and dirt and turned the shower on. Hot water poured over her, and she relished the feeling. After scrubbing away the dirt with a bar of soap and washing her hair with a lemon smelling shampoo, Tessa finally felt clean. She covered herself with a towel and had just finished washing her dirty clothes when she heard the bang of the door opening and then closing.

She peeked out from the shower curtain and shrieked when she saw the Asian boy. "Get out, you asshole!" she yelped and shucked the shampoo bottle at him, hitting him in the head.

"Hey!" he protested. "At least I didn't try to join you in the shower."

"Haha, you're hilarious," Tessa growled. "Now get out before I kill you!"

"Okay, okay," the boy laughed and left the bathroom. After counting to ten, Tessa reached for the bag and picked out her clothes. Whoever had sent her to the Glade hadn't send much. She only had several articles of clothing. Deciding on a grey tank top and black shorts, Tessa quickly shimmied into them before the Asian boy could barge in on her again.

* * *

After her wet hair had been tucked away in a bun and her clothes stuffed back in the bag, Tessa left the bathroom and almost shrieked when she saw the Asian boy standing outside it with a smirk and his arms crossed.

"What the hell do you want?" she growled and glared at him.

"Nice to meet you too, hon," he winked at her. Tessa ignored his perfect white teeth and olive colored skin and huge biceps and glared at him again. "The name's Minho."

Too tired to do anything else, Tessa sighed and said, "Hi, Minho. What the hell do you want?"

"I see our new Greenie has an attitude," Minho grinned. "What's your name, princess?" Before she could stop herself, Tessa stepped forward and slapped Minho across the face. He looked more shocked than pained.

"Call me princess again and your face won't be the only thing that hurts," Tessa spat and stepped away from him. Before she could do anything or say anything else, Minho started to laugh.

"What's your name?" he grinned.

Sighing, Tessa gave away the only piece of information that she had, "Tessa."

Minho grinned and said, "Nice to meet you, Tessa."

"Nice to meet you too, Minho."

* * *

"We have parties each month to celebrate the arrival of the Greenie. You're no exception," Newt grinned at her as they ate the lunch that Frypan, who was much kinder than Minho was. "We usually have it the night that the Greenie comes but, you ran off."

"What did you expect me to do? I thought that I had been kidnapped," Tessa shrugged. After spending time with several Gladers, she had come to find that most of them were kind and several were even humorous.

"Of course," Newt smirked and bit into his apple.

Eyeing his hair, Tessa blurted out without thinking, "You need a haircut, Newt. And perhaps a change in clothes."

"You're being rude. Many people find my hair to be stunning," Newt replied, feigning offense.

"Like who?"

"Alby and I happen to be in a very intimate relationship, if you must know," Newt replied, thickening his British accent.

"I'm so happy for you too. How many months, Newt darling?" she giggled.

Newt smiled and replied, "It was love at first sight."

"I'm sure it was," she heard someone say and turned to see Minho sit down next to her. "You and Tessa were meant for each other," Minho winked at her.

"Thank you, Minho, but I was talking about me and Alby," Newt grinned at Minho. Tessa could tell just by looking at them that they were good friends. The question was, what were they doing in a place such as the Glade?

"That's great," Minho snorted. "I guess that leaves Tessa for me." Tessa silenced him with a smack to his head.

"Ouch. That hurt," Minho feigned pain and made a pouty face. She silenced him with another smack to his head and then resumed eating.

* * *

"So, what am I doing today?" Tessa asked Newt as she followed him around the Glade.

"We're going to go find Nick so he can give you the tour," Newt replied and pushed open the make-shift door to the Homestead. When Tessa had first looked at the Homestead, she was shocked that such a rickety, weird-shaped building could even stand. Newt had told her that ever since more and more people came, they had added attachments to the Homestead, thus explaining it's strange shape.

"Finally. I've had enough of you and Minho," Tessa said and then laughed.

"You should be sorry," Newt frowned at her and started to laugh to. Tessa found herself enjoying being in Newt's company but there was one thing that was more important to her than anything-finding a way out of the Glade. Her family must have been looking for her, and if not her family, friends. Someone had to be looking for Tessa. And though Tessa didn't remember anything about her parents or the house that she had lived in, she still remembered books and movies that she had read and seen. Thinking about family and if anyone was looking for her reminded Tessa of one particular quote. "If no one cares for you at all, do you even really exist?"

Tessa followed Newt into one of the rooms in the Homestead and saw a blonde haired, well muscled, tall boy observing a piece of paper and twirling a pencil in his hands. "Nick?" Newt called out.

The boy looked up and smiled, "Hello. So this is the Greenie?"

"Yep," Newt said and grinned.

"Nice to meet you," Nick gave her a kind smile. Tessa smiled back, but she still felt uneasy. The walls that surrounded the Glade made it seem like a prison, and the daunting Maze, though Tessa would never admit it, terrified her.

"What's your name?" Nick walked towards her. Damn. He was tall even next to Tessa's five foot ten and Newt's six foot two.

"Tessa," she replied.

"Welcome to the Glade, Tessa. Ready for your tour?"

"Yes."

* * *

Newt left to find Minho for some Runner business, and Nick showed her around the Glade. How Nick wasn't sweating to death, Tessa had no idea. Fanning herself with her hand as they walked, she was impressed by the well-built and well-made structures in the Glade.

"This is the Homestead," Nick indicated with his hand at the large wooden building that that Newt had shown her earlier.

"Tomorrow you will start your trials. Each day you will be sent to a job, or more, to see which one you are best at. Here, in the Glade, everyone does their part," Nick said. There was a hint of pride in his voice when he talked about the Glade but, she ignored it. "Come on. The gardens are over there, and you can meet Zart."

After Tessa was shown the Gardens, Blood House, Med-Hut, Homestead, and Kitchen before the pair stopped for a snack. It seemed like Nick and maybe Alby were the only ones that Frypan would allow to grab a snack. Nick thanked Frypan and then lead Tessa to the Deadheads. The name didn't make much sense to her until they arrived. It was a graveyard.

"But if I'm the twelfth one, how are there people that have died? There's at least ten people in the Glade, Nick," Tessa's brow furrowed, and she frowned. Nick sighed and knelt by one of the grave's, as if he was going to place flowers on it.

"Sit down, Tessa. This might take a while," Nick said, and Tessa sat down.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter, guys! Let me know what you all think.**

Quote: "The town was paper, but the memories were not."-Paper Towns (John Green)


	3. New Champion

**Chapter 3**

 **New Champion**

* * *

"Alby, Newt, Minho…a couple of, we are some of the first. But, I am the only one that came up in the original group. Whoever put us here, they sent up a group of about seven boys and…one girl. Eight of us." Nick's voice stiffened when he mentioned the girl, but Tessa kept quiet. "Her name was Florence, and sadly, I fell for her."

"Nick," Tessa muttered. "You don't have to-"

"No. You should know," he replied and continued. "When we first arrived, there were eight of us. Me, Florence, George, John, Bill, Charles, and Lyndon. When we first arrived, there was nothing. There were the trees and grass and the Walls and the Maze, but that was it. We started out as enemies, except for Florence. She was also the one that tried to keep us all together, keep us like a family in a way. In some ways, she succeeded. But when we went out into the Maze for the first time, two of ours died-John and Charles. They never made it back." Tessa wanted to comfort the boy in front of her, but she was paralyzed. The only thing she could do was listen.

"George and I, we started to build the Homestead with the tools that had come up with us, but the others, beside Florence..they only cared about getting out. And when they kept trying; they all died. And Florence…she tried to run in and save them." Nick was shaking, but he kept going on.

"Nick?" Tessa leaned forward with concern.

"Tessa, she died. She never came back."

After a long pause, Tessa finally said, "What happened? What happened to George?"

Nick sighed and leaned back against a tree and closed his eyes. Until now, Tessa hadn't realized that most of the Gladers were only teens. "Alby came up after the dreadful month that we had suffered through. He helped me through Florence's death and…and George's. George, he decided to go into the Maze one day, and he never came back."

"I'm sorry," Tessa whispered.

"I hope that while you're here in the Glade, Tessa, that you'll learn that it's best if you don't get too attached to people. Not when they could die at any minute? Understood?"

"Yes," Tessa said.

* * *

Tessa finished putting her hair in a tight ponytail and changed into her outfit for the party. She wondered if she had had any skill in style before, but she doubted it. Tessa had picked out a black tank top, shorts, and combat boots. Jogging over to the bonfire, she saw a table full of jars with strange liquid, a circle of boys, and food served by Frypan.

"Hi, princess," someone said behind her, and Tessa turned around to see a grinning Minho.

"Hi, dumb ass," she smiled sweetly and cocked her head.

"Miss me much?" Minho smiled down at her.

"Of course," Tessa grinned and patted his cheek. "Too bad I'm gonna kick your ass in the fight circle."

"Like you could," Minho rolled his eyes. "But your free to fight Gally all you want."

"Fine, you wimp," Tessa winked and then walked over to the fight circle. Four or so boys cheered as a boy named Louis flung another boy to the ground. Wriggling her way through the small crowd, Tessa smirked and said, "All right assholes. Who's brave enough to fight me?"

Newt stepped forward, frowning, and said, "Come on, Tessa. Don't." She ignored him and smirked again.

"I'll do it," someone muttered, and she saw a buff boy with the weirdest eyebrows she had ever seen walk forward. He grinned at her and said, "My name's Gally."

"Well, Gally," Tessa grinned. "You're about to get your ass kicked." Gally chuckled and then with alarming speed bulldozed her to the ground. Before he knew what was going on, Tessa head butted him and stood up. Blood trickled out of her mouth but, she was grinning like a mad man.

Gally was laughing, and he tried to tackle her again. It didn't work. Tessa didn't know how, but she bent her leg and swept the other at Gally's feet. He landed with a very concerning oomph sound on the ground.

"Guess we got a new champion," Nick grinned and ordered Clint to help the boy on the ground. Tessa approached Newt and smirked.

"And you thought I couldn't handle myself," Tessa crossed her arms over her chest and laughed.

"I guess I was wrong," Newt smiled down at her, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Behind her, she heard Nick cough but, she ignored it.

* * *

It was dark when Tessa woke up. The grass tickled her nose, and she could tell that her hair was a rat's nest. She wiggled out of her sleeping bag, grabbed her bag, and headed towards the showers. After making sure that no one was in there, Tessa slipped into the shower stall and peeled off her clothes. The warm water fell over her like a comforting blanket, and she felt like she was washing away the worry and fear.

When she was done showering and had washed her clothes, she dug through her bag and was overjoyed when she found a comb and a plain black cap. She slipped on a white tank top and shorts before slipping her hair up into a ponytail, and then marched over to the kitchen for breakfast.

"Good morning," Frypan greeted her with a smile and a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon. Tessa responded with a smile and scurried off with her plate to join Newt and Minho. Newt smiled at her when she sat down but continued to eat his eggs.

Minho, however, smirked and said, "Morning, babe." Tessa glared at him and flicked his forehead.

"Hey!" Minho protested. "That was a compliment!"

"Sorry," Tessa smiled sweetly and then dug into her food. It was delicious. After she was done and a couple other Gladers had joined the table, Nick led Tessa to her first trial in the Glade-digging up shit with Zart. The job didn't exactly fascinate her, but it was simple enough. After placing a bunch of tomatoes in a basket and pulling out the weeds, Tessa found Zart and showed him her accomplishment.

"Nice, Greenie," Zart chuckled as he wiped off his dirt clad hands on a rag. "If you want, you can go find Nick now. I've seen all that I've needed to see." Tessa thanked him and headed towards the Homestead to find Nick. He was in his room; it seemed like the Keepers and leaders of the Glade had their own rooms in the Homestead. Those lucky bastards.

Tessa knocked on the door and gave Nick a kind smile when he opened the door, "Zart said I could come find you."

"Does that mean that you were terrible in the Gardens?" Nick chuckled and lead her over to the Bloodhouse.

"No. I was stunning," Tessa replied and pushed open the door to the Bloodhouse. The smell hit her right away-dead animals and the metallic taste of blood. Nick smiled at her before turning aruond and trudging back towards his room, his blonde head bobbing in the distance.

Winston grinned at her, a knife in his hand and a bloody animal in the other, "Now, Greenie. I know that you're a girl, and girls don't really like to see blood but, I'm willing to let you try this job anyway." He winked and started chopping up the animal, which was actually a chicken.

"I think I'll be fine," Tessa glared at him, yanking a knife of the wall and expertly twirling it in her hand. "And if you say another stupid ass joke about girls being weak, I'll throw you into a tree."

"Like you could, girl," Winston rolled his eyes as he chopped of the chicken's head, which sprayed blood everywhere. Deciding to ignore him, Tessa flung the knife back onto its hook and smiled mockingly.

Winston was astounded but quickly recovered, "Alright, Greenie, let's get moving. Here we have our wonderful group of knives, and in the back, we prepare the animals. In the middle of the Bloodhouse, we, well, we prepare lunch." There was something about Winston that remined her of a psychopath. Then again, they were all trapped in a giant Maze and their leader was a nineteen-year-old boy.

After Tessa was done with her trial and had proven to Zart that she could both stand the site of blood and chop up a bloody chicken. "Your not too bad, Greenie. You might just become a Slicer."

Tessa glared at him and walked off to the kitchen to find something to eat. Newt and Minho still weren't back from the Maze so, Tessa decided to sit down next to Gally. He smiled at her and said, "How goes it, Greenie?"

"Good," Tessa replied. "How's building?"

Gally laughed, "I think I stubbed my toe and sprained a wrist today."

"Fascinating," she laughed. After she had eaten two plate fulls of chicken, rice, and beans, Tessa said goodbye to Gally and ventured off to find Nick.

* * *

 **A huge thank you to all your** **reviews! I do read them and would appreciate any comments or opinions on my story.**

Quote: "Don't be such a sour wolf."-Teen Wolf


	4. A Psycho Killer

**Chapter 4**

 **A Psycho Killer**

After showering and cleaning the blood from Winston's trial off of her tank top, Tessa wandered back to her sleeping area that some Sloppers had just set up; after the party, Tessa had crashed in one of the empty rooms in the Homestead. Dressed in a oversized sweatshirt and sweatpants-it was freezing at night-she lay down on her sleeping back, her pillow tucked under her head. In a few moments, she was asleep.

In the morning, the sun was already up and the Gladers were already roaming around the Glade. Unfortunately, she awoke to someone poking her in the belly button. In a flash, she had the person pinned to the ground and her arm over their neck. Tessa's vision cleared as she heard a yelp and immediately jumped off.

"I'm so sorry!" she said, as she helped Newt off the ground.

"What the bloody hell?" he growled, brushing off bits of grass and groaning as he put a hand on his head. "Damn it, Tessa."

"I'm sorry, Newt," Tessa sighed. "It's an instinct."

"Really? All I see is a psycho killer. I'm going to go find Alby," Newt stomped off, his hand still clutching his head. Tessa put her head in her hands and then fell back asleep.

"Tessa! TESSA! WAKE THE FUCK UP!" Tessa's eyes flew open, and she yawned when she saw Nick glaring down at her.

"What?" Tessa grumbled, covering another yawn with her hand and then stretching.

"It's already eleven o' clock! I thought Newt went to wake you," Nick scowled.

Tessa rolled her eyes, "And he did. What crawled up your ass this morning?"

"Tessa. If you don't want to be sent out into the Maze, I suggest you learn to follow the rules. Go to the Gardens; Zart's waiting for you," Nick started to walk away.

"Why? And when am I supposed to eat?" Tessa crossed her arms over her chests and glared at Nick. He was being unfair! There was nothing wrong with getting a little sleep, right?

"I suppose when lunch comes around. And Zart said that you have some potential; he just wants to check you out again," Nick replied and then stalked off. Rolling her eyes again and muttering several words that rhymed with ducking glass mole and fithead, Tessa rolled up her sleeping bag and wandered off to the showers to clean up.

After scrubbing her voice and brushing her teeth, Tessa slipped on an olive green tank top and white shorts before jogging over to the Kitchens. Damn you, Nick, she thought as she slipped a biscuit, sausage links, and a cup of water from Frypan's kitchen; he must have gone to the bathroom. She dashed out and ate her breakfast as she walked over to the Gardens.

"There's the Greenie?"

"Sorry?" Tessa raised her eyebrows and tossed her plastic cup to the side.

"You know littering is bad for the environment," Zart smiled.

"Yeah, well, it's not like anything could get any worse in this hell hole," Tessa replied and smiled.

"And Greenie is what we call the newbie, and until the new guy, or girl, comes, you'll be the Greenie."

"Wow. Just great. I love nicknames."

"Your welcome, bud!"

"Call me bud again and I'll spear you in the chest with one of your gardening tools," Tessa smiled sweetly.

Zart replied, "I'm frightened. Now, I thought you did a good job yesterday but, I'm going to have you try something harder! Get excited!" Rolling my eyes, I knelt and started to dig.

* * *

Quote: "Sometimes good things happen to bad people."-Revenge


	5. Someone's Brother

**Chapter 5**

 **Someone's Brother**

 _Tessa was drowning; the murky water engulfed her, and her arms were useless against the smashing waves. But before she knew it, a pair of arms tugged her up by her shoulders and then she could breath again. "I've got you sis," a boy said and smiled, patting her back as she coughed up what seemed like a bucketful of water._

It was early in the morning when Tessa woke up, the sky was still a darkish grey and there were only a few Gladers roaming about. She rolled up her sleeping bag and headed to the showers, a bag of clothes in her hands. She waved hi to Frypan on the way there and then nodded a hello to Zart after she had changed into the day's clothes and washed her hair.

"Morning," she yawned as she plopped herself down next to Minho, Nick, and a tired looking Newt.

"Looks like someone finally decided to wake up on time, like the rest of us," Nick grinned.

Tessa flicked him on the head and replied, "Haha, you're hilarious." She glanced at Newt to see if he was reacting to any of it but, he remained silent and stared at his plate of food. She cleared her throat and turned to Minho, who was busy licking his fork.

"When you're done licking your fork, Minho, I would like to ask you a couple questions," she said placidly, trying her best to hide her smile. Nick snorted into his food, and Newt allowed himself a small smile. Tessa brushed away her own smile and turned to Minho again. "How's your relationship with Alby?"

Before Minho could reply, Newt cleared his throat and said, "Could I talk to you for a second, Tessa? Outside?" She glanced up at him, nodded, and followed him out of the Homestead and into the forest.

"What is it, Newt? I have to get to my trial with Clint today, and I would prefer it if you didn't make me late," Tessa crossed her arms over her chest and frowned. Newt sighed and kicked a loose pebble with his foot.

"Well?" she said, raising her eyebrows at him.

"I, umm, just wanted to apologize for yelling at you the other day. So…I'm sorry," Newt shrugged and then glanced at her for an answer.

Tessa sighed and said, "Newt, you don't have to apologize. I admit that I was a little crazy but, that's just how I am. I can't help it."

"Then I'll learn to live with it," Newt smiled and then started to head back to the Glade. Smiling to herself a bit, she started to head back too.

* * *

Clint smiled at her when she entered the Medhut and said, "Morning, Tessa. Are you ready?" She nodded in response and toyed with a piece of her hair. Clint set a basket of what looked like pill bottles, bandages, and rubbing alcohol in front of her and grinned.

After Clint had grilled her on everything she knew about medicine and bandaging people up, he sent her to lunch with a delighted smile and a wave. She sat down next to Gally and the two other Builders and started eating her sandwich.

"How was Clint?" Gally smiled at her.

"I actually think I did pretty well," Tessa grinned and shoved away her plate when she was done. She followed Gally out to another section of the Homestead they were building; apparently whenever every other Greenie came up, they started building a new section to the Homestead.

"Looks good," she smiled and gave it a thumbs up.

"Thanks," Gally grinned and picked up a hammer and a box of nails. There was something about him that was extremely familiar, but Tessa couldn't quite place what it was. Whatever it was, she knew it wasn't anything romantic. It was more like a sibling relationship. Sighing, Tessa brushed her hair out of her face, bade Gally good-bye, and headed towards the Maze doors to wait for Minho and Newt.

* * *

 _"What do you think Mom and Dad are doing right now?" Tessa asked. Her thin dark hair was tied back in a braid and her eight-year-old self was dressed in a plain yellow shirt and blue shorts. Across from her, sitting on the opposite bunk bed was her brother-a stout eight-year old boy, who was also her twin, with dark shaggy hair and a gleeful expression._

 _"Tess, you shouldn't think about them. They're gone. There is nothing you can do," he leaned forward and patted his sister's shoulder. She sighed and pulled a photo out of her pocket._

 _"You don't really believe they left us, right Gally?"_

 _Her brother sighed and rubbed his forehead; the two were far to young to be thinking about problems like that, but they were special kids. "I don't know, Tessa. They never even said good-bye, not even one word."_

 _"But they'll come back, won't they?" she asked, her blue eyes tearing up._

 _"I think it's just going to be us for a while. I'm sorry, sis," her brother sighed and gave her a hug._

She almost leapt out of her sleeping bag, gasping as she rolled up the sleeping bag and ran towards the Homestead. She caught sight of Gally with a hammer in his hand, walking towards the misshapen building. There was no doubt about it as she remembered her dream; Gally was her brother.

* * *

 **You guys might one to read over chapter four again; it's nothing big, I just changed a couple of bits. Thank you Embers to Ashes for your help on the chapter title thing!**

Quote: "We only break the rules to save people." -Barry Allen (The Flash)


	6. Running, Building

**Chapter 6**

 **Running, Building**

"Tessa, can I talk to you?" she heard a familiar voice behind her and got up. Newt glanced at the two and then back at his breakfast; Minho was busy sucking on a strawberry.

"Yeah, I wanted to ask you something too," Tessa nodded and followed her brother out.

"Did you have this dream last night?" Gally asked, scratching the back of his head and raising his queer eyebrows.

"Yeah…but, it was more like…like a memory," Tessa stuttered out. Gally nodded in agreement; he sighed and plopped down onto the ground. She sat down next to him and studied his face; he was definitely the brother from her memory-they had the same face shape, hair, eye color.

"Why would the people who put us in here want us to think we're siblings?" Gally asked her after a long moment of silence.

"I don't know, but I'm glad they did," she smiled and gave him a hug.

"What does this mean?" Gally said after a while.

"It means that you're not alone."

* * *

While she was working with the Baggers, Nick approached her. "I see you're up early this morning, Greenie." Nick smiled and nodded at Bill, who was the Keeper of the Baggers. Nick told the two Baggers that they were needed in the Deadheads and then turned towards me.

"For every new guy, or in your case girl, that comes up in the Box, we have to decide what job they will have in the Glade. Here, as you now know, everyone does their part. So, later, the Keepers and a couple Runners will have a meeting and then I'll inform you what your job will be," Nick smiled. "Any questions?"

"Yeah," Tessa frowned. "I never got a chance to try out for the Builders or the Runners."

Nick frowned and scratched the back of his head, "I'm not sure if…I mean Runners have a hard job…I mean…" Nick stared uneasily at the ground and then glanced back at me as if he was hoping she would disappear.

"What?" she crossed my arms and glared at him. "You think because I'm a girl, I can't do the hard shit?"

"No…no…It's not me that thinks that," he frowned, taking a step away from her as if he thought she was about to stab him in the throat.

"Then who?" she rolled her eyes.

"Minho and Newt."

* * *

"Okay, just hold on for a minute, Tessa? Please don't start attacking them just yet! There's always the option of discussing something like a civilized person!" Nick frantically chased after her as she stormed towards the Maze doors. "Tessa, stop!"

She groaned and turned around, "What, Nick?"

"I've seen what you can do, okay, at your party. I'd prefer it if my only two Runners weren't snapped in half by you," Nick said and gripped her shoulder.

Tessa sighed and replied, "I get it, Nick. But I have to tell them that they can't decide what's good and not good for me. It's not their job. And it's not anyone's job, except me. Alright?" Nick nodded and stood still as she approached Minho and Newt, who had just stumbled out of the Maze. They smiled when she approached them.

"How's my favorite girl in the Glade?" Minho grinned.

"I'm the only girl, dip shit, that is if you're not counting yourself," she replied and glared at Newt who was smirking. She thunked him in the head before turning to Minho, who was covering his smile with his hand.

"Tell Nick that I'm good enough to be a Runner and a Builder," Tessa said, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Come on," Newt said, rubbing his forehead. "We were only trying to protect you; you aren't…you aren't physically strong enough for those jobs." She rolled her eyes and pursed her lips.

Minho smiled at her and said, "We care about you, sweetheart."

"Like hell you do," Tessa replied and grabbed them both by the shirt. "If you don't tell Nick, I'll just have to run the Maze everyday by myself." She shoved them back and stomped towards the kitchen in search of something to eat. Frypan was busy chopping up vegetables from the Garden, but he turned and smiled at her when she shouldered through the creaky wooden door.

"What can I do for you, Tessa? I'd give you a snack, but Nick's decided that we have to ration our food and only eat at specific times," Frypan smiled apologetically at her and set down his knife.

Tessa propped herself up on a wooden stool and said, "I was wondering if you needed any help. I'm done with all my trials for today and was hoping I could be of use in the Glade." Frypan laughed and tossed her a banana.

"It's alright," Frypan grinned and picked up his knife. "Go eat the banana and find something fun to do, Tessa. You don't have to prove something to the rest of the Gladers just because you're a girl." Tessa twirled the banana in her hand and opened the door.

"Thanks, Fry," Tessa smiled and wandered towards the Deadheads. Perhaps she could discover something new.

Armed with two knives stuck through her combat boots, she ventured through the trees and roots until she stumbled open a small stream; it was clear and sparkly blue. Smiling in happiness, she tugged off her jacket and boots before slipping into the cool water. Somehow, swimming back and forth through the stream renewed her strength and gave her the time to clear her head. Why would the people that put her in the Glade want her to remember her brother? Could they control her mind? Why was she the only girl?

She tugged off her tank top, and yes she was wearing something underneath, and scrubbed off all the dirt and grime gathered on her body. She was tugging her hair into a ponytail when she heard a boy yelp-a very British boy.

"Newt! What the hell?" she yelled and tugged on her tank top, jacket, and boots. Newt glanced at the two knives sticking out and scratched the back of his neck before warily glancing back at her. She crossed her arms across her chest and smirked.

"What do you want, Newt?"

The blonde boy said, "Nick says you're clear to try whatever you want in the Glade."

"I know you were just trying to do something nice, but Newt, you have to understand something. I don't need anyone's help."

Newt stepped towards her and gave her a small smile, "I know. But you don't have to be alone."

* * *

"You ready?" Minho grinned, his Runner's pack on his back and his hair perfectly styled as usual. Newt was on the other side of her with the same pack and stance as Minho, except for the hair.

"Yep," Tessa grinned, loosening the straps on her pack. The three were standing in front of the Doors, waiting for them to open; she'd decided that though building was alright, she wanted to run more than anything. Tessa didn't care about the dangers in the Maze; she wanted to find a way out more than anything.

"You know, Newtie," she turned to face Newt. "You really should get a haircut."

"Hey! I love my hair," Newt protested.

"I have to agree with Tessa. It's hideous," Minho laughed. While Newt observed his hair, strand by strand, the doors shuddered open and we ran into the Maze.

* * *

 **Hi everyone! Sorry it's been a while, but I'm back! Hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

Quote: "I used to know that rage. I used to feel that rage every time I looked upon you and now I know that Joe and and Henry feel when they look on you with pride. With love."-The Flash


	7. Welcome to the Maze

**Chapter 7**

 **Welcome to the Maze**

Minho sprinted off to cover a different section while Newt led her to another; the Maze was apparently composed of eight different sections that surrounded the Maze, but Minho and Newt had only thoroughly searched four of them.

Newt was leading her into section two, while Minho went to check out section three; out of the two, Minho was faster, but only by a little bit and he had been in the Maze a month longer than Newt had. "So, when's lunch?" she asked, wiping the sweat out off her brow.

"Tired already?" he grinned, glancing over at her.

"Nope. But I could really kill for some of Frypan's sandwiches," she replied and adjusted the strap of her pack.

Newt chuckled and said, "I have to say Greenie, you're not bad. Much better than Winston and Zart when Nick had them try out with Minho and me."

"Is that so?" Tessa grinned, smiling to herself. Maybe she could become a Runner after all.

"Come on. Just a little bit more and then we can eat."

Newt pulled out a small cloth after they had done about ten more minutes of running and wiped his face with it. The sweat was gone, but he'd left a huge dirt streak across his cheek.

Snickering, Tessa pointed it out and promptly rubbed it off with her thumb. "Your welcome." She smiled, trying her best to ignore Newt's gawking expression.

"Thanks…" Tessa grinned, plopped down on the floor, and pulled out Frypan's carefully made grilled cheese sandwiches, sliced apples, and a lightweight canteen of water. The sandwich was still warm; it had been wrapped in some sort of foil, the apples were crispy, and the cold water soothing.

"Bloody hell, Tessa. You can eat," Newt commented after she gulped down her sandwich and e-mails in a mere three minutes. She grinned and then gulped down half of the water in her canteen. After Newt had finally finished eating, they walked a bit, stretched, and then continued to run. But it wasn't too bad; running gave Tessa a good feeling, a feeling of freedom.

The two met Minho in the Runner's hut, who was drinking water and sitting in a wooden chair, studying a notebook. "So, how did the Greenie do?" Minho grinned, casting the notebook to the side and setting his cup of water down.

"Not bad. Although, I'm not sure if she's good enough to keep up with us," Newt grinned.

"Bull shit," Tessa rolled her eyes and walked over to the tables, which had piles of papers, a piece of cardboard with lines and boxes that resembled a maze, and tons of wooden, black pencils.

"Language, princess," Minho wagged his finger at her and then pulled out several pieces of paper. He put them out so they connected and formed into what seemed like drawings of section two.

Tessa tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and said, "So, what are we doing?"

"Everyday, we run a section of the Maze. We look for anything interesting, strange, or significant. Think of symbols, writings in the walls, something that wasn't there before. Being a Runner means you have to be fast and smart. You good with that, Tess?" Minho said.

"Yeah. Sounds good," she smiled.

"Good," Minho grinned and said, "We draw the Maze and tomorrow, we'll start to construct it."

* * *

It was dark when Tessa had finished eating dinner with the rest of the Gladers, showered, and then walked back to the creek with Newt and Minho. "So, what are we doing tomorrow?" she asked Newt.

"Running a different section and then starting the construction of our maze model," Newt said, yawning and stretching his arms above his head. Minho said goodnight and wandered back to his room in the Homestead, which she thought was quite unfair. Only the two Runners, Alby, and Nick got rooms while the eight others had to sleep outside. Apparently, Gally was working on rooms for the others like Frypan, Winston, and Zart but it was hard. There was only him and another guy.

"Are you tired?" Newt turned to her and smiled. She could see his perfect white teeth even in the dark and nodded.

"Yeah," she smiled.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Tess," Newt grinned and walked to the Homestead. When Tessa finally nestled into her sleeping bag, she realized something. Minho and Newt were the only ones that had ever called her Tess, and in a way, she sort of liked it.

* * *

"Morning, babe," she heard someone say. Groaning, she rubbed her hands against her eyes and saw Minho staring down at her.

"Call me that again and I'll knock your teeth out," Tessa slipped out of her sleeping bag and grabbed the pile of clothes she had lay out yesterday. After she finally persuaded Minho to leave her alone and go eat something, Tessa slipped into the bathroom and changed into her running boots, tank top, and running shorts. She met Newt and Minho, after she ate an apple, in front of the doors.

"Who's excited for another day in the Maze?" Minho grinned, rubbing his palms together like a little kid, greedily asking for candy. Newt fixed a lace on his left shoe while Tessa gave Minho a slight nod; she was still tired from the run the day before. The job may have been better than the other options she had had, but it was exhausting.

Minho chuckled as Tessa yawned and rubbed her eyes with her hands. "Tired, honey?"

Rolling her eyes at him, she replied, "Shut it, shuckface."

Newt smiled at her and said, "Don't worry about it, Tess. Minho here, I heard, wasn't even able to get up after his first run. Alby had to practically beg him."

"Not true," Minho protested, making a face expression that reminded her of two siblings arguing over who broke what. She wondered if Gally and her ever argued like that.

Newt laughed and tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. Tessa couldn't help but point out another thing, "But seriously, Newt. You need a haircut. Perhaps I could give you one after our run?" She grinned and tugged out one of the knives that were in one of the little slings of her pack.

"No! My hair is gorgeous the way it is!" Newt protested. This time, it was Minho's turn to laugh. While Newt covered his head with his hands and Minho was laughing at him, Nick approached them with a faint smile.

"I see my Runners are up nice and early, today," he smiled.

"We get up this time every day, Nick," Minho said, quizzically.

"I know, you shuck," Nick replied, laughed, and turned towards me. "How are you, Tessa?"

Tessa ran a hand through her hair before saying, "I'm great, Nick, except for the fact that I still have no idea why we're in here. Otherwise, I'm fitting in quite well."

"Good. Then I'll leave you guys to it then. The Doors should be opening any moment now."

* * *

Tessa's whole body was sore, but the running was still great. She sprinted a few feet ahead of Newt until they burst into the Glade, sweat pouring down their faces after their short race.

"Great, you win," Newt wheezed, panting and scrambling for his bottle of water. She laughed and offered her water to him when he couldn't open his. He nodded in thanks and then followed her and Minho to the Runner's hut.

"Please tell me you did not lose," Minho said, covering his face with his hands.

"Oh, he lost. Big time," Tessa laughed, smirking a bit. Newt put his face down on the table in shame while Minho muttered curse words at his friend. After Newt finally picked himself back up, the three began constructing the mini model of the Maze out of wooden pieces and sticks that a Slopper had collected the day before. After the trio finished section one, they journeyed to the kitchen for dinner.

* * *

 **Hi guys! How's school going for some of you? Hope you enjoy this chapter and please tell me what you think!**

Quote: "I used to think the world was broken down by tribes, 'I said. 'By Black and White. By Indian and White. But I know this isn't true. The world is only broken into two tribes: the people who are assholes and the people who are not."-The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian


	8. Goodbye

**Chapter 8**

 **Goodbye**

Tessa couldn't believe it had been a month since she first arrived. Minho, Newt, and she had already finished most of the model of the Maze, and she'd started to run the Maze by herself. The problem was that Tessa and Gally kept having visions or memories of some sort of their childhood, but neither of them could figure out why.

It was the day the next Greenie was supposed to arrive when Tessa and Gally finally agreed to tell the others that somehow they were siblings. The thirteen Gladers gathered in the Homestead; Nick had decided that just this once, he would let the Gladers have one day off. Well, that is except for Frypan and Minho, who was still determined to figure out the Maze.

Newt and Gally stood next to her as Nick and Alby gathered to tell them something. "We have a new idea. One that will surely get us out of here." Nick was smiling proudly. It was hard for Tessa to remember that he was probably only a year or two older than her, nineteen or so.

Nick went on, "When the Greenie comes up, I will go down there and hopefully get the box to take me to WICKED. I will do my best to get you guys out of here, if I get out." The group cheered and started patting Nick on the back. But Tessa and Newt frowned. They pulled Nick to the side with worried faces.

Tessa licked her lips before saying, "Nick, I'm not sure if this is a good idea. Think about it. You could end up badly hurt or the plan might not even work. You're getting the others' hopes up." Newt nodded in agreement.

"Well maybe, what we need is a little help, Tessa," Nick smiled almost sadly at the two, like he already knew something.

"Nick, I'm serious. We can't lose our leader," Newt whispered, staring at his old friend. Tessa realized something again; she'd been in the Glade for a month while the others like Newt and Minho had been in there for about a year.

"You won't lose me, guys. I promise. Don't be shanks," Nick grinned, patting them both on the shoulder, and then walked over to the others to discuss other business.

Newt sighed, crossings his arms across his chest, "Tessa, this doesn't feel right. I mean, I want to get out here as much as everyone else, but I just have a really bad feeling about this."

There was a slight breeze, making her shiver. Tessa rubbed her arms and turned back to Newt, "You're both right. Nick was right when he said we needed hope, because we do, Newt. And you're right about this being a bad idea. But what else have we got?"

* * *

Taking a nap was the worst idea she'd had in a while. After saying good-bye to Newt, she'd rolled out a blanket and fell asleep under the vast area of trees by the creek.

 _She was in an operating room, a white lab coat adorning her and her smooth hair was tied back into a ponytail. Tessa could see a body on the operation table, but she didn't recognize who it was until she took a couple steps closer. She saw it was Nick, but it wasn't the Nick she knew. This Nick was dead, his body was covered in blood, his dead eyes stared up at her, and his nose had been almost flattened, as if someone had repeatedly hit him over and over with a hammer._

 _But there was one thing that disturbed her even more than the rest of Nick's wound. His whole body from the waist down was gone, like he'd been chopped in half._

Of course she woke up screaming. And she woke up in Minho's sweaty arms. "Tessa! Tessa! Wake up!" Gasping, Tessa rubbed her face with her hands before asking Minho what she feared the most.

"Minho?" she whispered. She turned to look at him and noticed tears leaking out of his eyes. "Minho, where's Nick?"

"I just got back," Minho's voice croaked, a tear sliding down his face. She wiped at it with her thumb and shuddered. "Tessa…"

"Minho, tell me," Tessa begged, fear creeping into her. What if her dream was true? What if Nick had been…? No, she couldn't think like that.

Minho's grip on her tightened as he said, "Tessa, he's gone. Nick is dead."

* * *

All thoughts of leaving the Maze faded. Alby wouldn't talk to them, and Newt kept beating himself up. "I should've saved him. Tessa, I could've saved him!" Newt placed his head in his hands and groaned. The only person she had told about her dream was Minho, who was sitting on the ground next to them, staring blankly at the Maze doors.

"I know," she whispered, wrapping her arms around her legs. "I know."

"What are we going to do now?" Newt whispered.

"We keep going," Tessa said, turning her head to Newt. "That's all we can do now or Nick helping us find a way out, Nick dying, would have been for nothing. And we can't do that to our…our leader."

"He's not our leader anymore, Tessa," Minho finally said. The three stood up and before they could disperse, she wrapped her arms around them until she herself finally allowed herself to fall apart and cry.

* * *

 **I hope you guys liked this chapter. Please tell me what you think, and if you could, because I suck at giving ship names, comment who you would ship and what their ship names would be. (And this does not necessarily mean Tessa is going to be with any one soon. Keep in mind that their friend and leader just died.) Oh and don't worry. I'll explain the whole vision in upcoming chapters!**

Quote: "No. Don't be scared. Don't give them anything, Lina, not even your fear." -Between Shades of Gray (Ruta Sepetys)


	9. Lincoln, Lincoln, Lincoln

**Chapter 9**

 **Lincoln, Lincoln, Lincoln**

Running helped a lot. The Glade was falling apart without Nick, Newt and Alby rarely spoke and both looked like they gone through hell and back, and worst of all was the despair. It hung in the air, like fog, but it wasn't visible. You couldn't see it or touch it. You could only feel it.

It was two nights after they'd created a makeshift gravestone for Nick when the first Glader tried to leave. Minho and Tessa had just come back from the Maze and out through the doors when a Glader ran towards them. It was only after they'd chased him down and restrained him when Tessa finally figured out his name. It was Chris. He was sobbing, horrible heart breaking sobs, as he was tied down.

"Sorry, pal," Minho muttered, knotting the ropes together nimbly. "It's for your own good."

"We're all going to die!" he wailed, desperately tugging at his bonds. "It's just better we die sooner!"

"Chris," she bent down in front of him and gave him her best smile. "It's going to be okay. Minho and I are still running the Maze. We'll find a way out." He kept sobbing, ignoring her words, until finally Minho and her left to go to the Runner's hut. As they were walking, they passed Frypan and Clint, two of the only Gladers who kept at it, who hadn't given up yet.

The boy was tall, well built, with blonde hair and sad blue eyes. She nudged Minho before sitting down next to the Greenie, who was staring blankly into space as Frypan and Clint did their best to cheer the boy up.

"Come on," Clint patted the boy on the shoulder. "It'll get better."

Frypan nodded in agreement, "It was hard for all of us at first, Lincoln."

The boy shuddered and put his head on his knees and started to rock back and forth. Tessa heard him as she sat down, "No…no…this is just a dream."

"It's not a dream, kid," Tessa growled. Clint shot a warning look at her but she ignored it. It was time the Gladers picked themselves up, got back to work, and stopped crying. Nick was gone; crying and pouting wouldn't change that.

"We've all been where you are!" she yelled. "We've been through more than you have. So get your shit together and help us, or I'll personally throw you into the Maze."

* * *

"I didn't know you had that in you," Minho grinned for what seemed like the first time in days. The two picked up their dinner from Frypan and walked outside to eat with Gally and Lincoln. She rolled her eyes and sat down next to her brother. The only people that knew they were siblings were Minho and Newt.

 _"Come on, Tessa. We're family. It's not like this news isn't going to do anything bad," Gally said, rubbing his forehead. He was sweaty after the day's work and clearly tired; he and Nick had been closer than brothers. She guessed they all had._

 _"I know, Gally," she sighed, "But there's something wrong. I can feel it. It's like ever since Nick died, there's been something nagging at me to keep my secrets, well secret. I can't explain it."_

 _"Okay, and maybe you're just being a little paranoid," Gally snapped._

 _Tessa raised her eyebrows at him before sighing again and saying, "It's not just that. What if people start to think we know something they don't? What if they blame us? They could try and separate us and I won't lose my only family."_

 _"The Gladers are my brothers, Tessa! They are family! I've known them for months," Gally yelled in her face before pulling back and putting his head in his hands. She winced; Tessa knew exactly what he meant. They may have shared the same blood, but it was clear who Gally would chose to save if it ever came down to it._

 _"Alright. Tell them, but if anything bad happens, it's on you," she said quietly before storming out._

Her brother completely ignored her when she sat down next to him. Minho shrugged and gobbled down his sandwich. The other two, well just Gally, were talking about Greenie parties.

"Wait, how come I didn't get one?" Lincoln asked.

"Our leader just died, dumbass. We deserved some time to griever," she growled.

"Don't listen to her, Link," Gally patted the Greenie on the shoulder.

"Link?" she scoffed, rolling her eyes, finishing her food and stomping towards the Runner's hut, Minho trailing behind her. The Runner was clearly exhausted; bags were under his eyes and his once playful smile hadn't been seen in days.

"Look, I know there's something going on between you and Gally, but you should both be lucky you know something. You have one more bit of information; everything we discover in this Glade and the Maze could be part of the key to getting out. And plus, I wish I had family. The rest of us don't, Tessa," Minho lectured her after she'd thrown herself down into a chair.

Tessa glanced up at the boy who was now her best friend and said, "Yes. You're right, Min. Except for one thing, Gally doesn't even think I'm his sister. He'd rather be with the new kid, Lincoln, then talk to me, even though we share the same blood." Tessa groaned and cast her eyes down to the ground.

Minho leaned against the large table that still had a partially finished Maze model and strips of paper and scraps scattered all over it and folded his arms. He stared at her before saying, "Don't give up, Tessa. I know that's you're feeling inside." Before she could protest, Minho went on. "I know that you want to feel safe, to have Newt and Nick back at your side, but I'm sorry to say you don't. Newt needs to focus on himself, and so do you."

"What do you suggest?" Tessa whispered, finally raising her eyes and meeting Minho's brown ones.

"Give them hope. Give the Gladers a reason for staying alive."

"How am I supposed to do that?" Tessa whispered, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. She recalled the time when Nick was still alive and Newt had told her that she'd never win the fight with Gally. And when, of course, she'd proved all of them wrong, Newt walked towards her and smiled, like he had really known she could do it all along.

"I don't know," Minho said, and then leaned down so his face was right in front of hers. "But I'll be here whenever you need me. Alright, princess?"

* * *

With Minho, Clint, and Frypan's help, Tessa managed to get all of the boys into the Homestead right after Minho and her had finished their Runner's work for the day. Newt still hadn't joined them, but Tessa could see him sulking in the back with two other boys who'd also been fairly close to Nick.

"Hello, everyone," Tessa said before coughing and then turning to Minho for reassurance. He gave her a small smile before nodding. She continued, "It's been a week, a week since we lost our leader. But we've still got so much work we need to do. Frypan is struggling with the cooking and Zart need's more help in the Gardens. For us to survive, we must work as a team and as a family." Tessa glanced at Gally, who was again sitting with Lincoln. He turned his face to stare up at her and for the first time in a while, her brother seemed to have forgiven her. For what, she had no clue, but she wasn't going to ignore it. She needed everyone.

"Minho and I need more help in the Maze. Newt," Tessa choked out. "I need your help in there. You're the only other Runner we've got. And the rest of you, pull yourselves together. We can't just lie around, waiting for death. I won't have it. Nick wouldn't have wanted this for us."

The one person she hadn't expected to say something stood up, "Why are you deciding what's best for us?" Lincoln said, his eyes narrowing into slits and his mouth forming into an ugly frown. Tessa turned to him, walked forward and gazed up at him. Normally, she could match most of the guy's level, except for Newt and Minho, but Lincoln was again an exception.

"Because we need a leader. I'm not trying to take Nick's place, not even close. But if we don't have someone in charge, we'll all die. And I'm not ready for that yet," she whispered.

"Maybe I should be the leader. I'm not moping for Nick, I didn't even know him," Lincoln replied right after she'd turn around and started walking back to Minho.

"Excuse me?" Tessa spun around. "You have done nothing since you got here, okay? The only thing you should be doing right now is finding something you're okay it so you can be useful!" Tessa was enraged, her fists were clenched and her eyes burned. Every part of her wanted to beat Lincoln to a pulp; she couldn't explain it. Something about the Greenie made her furious.

The Gladers tensed; everyone knew that Tessa was a bit prone to the occasionally punch/jab but what shocked everyone was that she wasn't the one who threw the first punch. In one swift motion, Lincoln punched her in the cheek and then pushed her, sending her flying and hitting the wall with a sickening crack.

Pain flew through her body, but Tessa forced herself to her feet, wrapped her arms around Lincoln's neck and kneed him repeatedly until he fell over. "Stop!" Gally cried, stepping in front of her as if he wanted to protect Lincoln.

Minho reached for her as she felt her knees buckle, her back and spine crackling like wood and her eyes closed. The last thing she remembered was the sound of the Gladers yelling and Minho's arms wrapped around her, begging for her to hang on.

* * *

 **Sorry this is kinda late. I've had a lot of school stuff going on and piano. I hope you enjoy this chapter and please review, fav, and follow. Again, please comment what your ships are, it really means a lot when I read your reviews.**

 **Oh and a big thanks to all who have reviewed and Embers to Ashes for the ship name Teminho.**

Quote: "We must all face the choice of what is right and what is easy." -Albus Dumbledore (Harry Potter)


	10. Awaken

**Chapter 10**

 **Awaken**

 _Her bedroom was plain with two bunk beds on each side, nightstands, desks, and a wardrobe. The bathroom was off to the right and contained a small shower, toilet, and sink. Toothbrushes were all put on a shelf for Tessa and her roommates along with towels. Each bed had a white comforter and a white pillow. Why was everything white?_

 _She took a step forward, one hand in her mother's and climbed up into one of the top bunks. Her mother smiled up at her, almost sadly, and said, "My sweet girl, take care of you're brother, okay?"_

 _Tessa didn't know it at the time, but it would be the last day she ever saw her mother._

Pain flowed through her body; her head felt as if it would burst into flames any second; and her ribs felt like someone was hammering them every five seconds. Tessa's eyes slowly opened before clearly; Clint was attending to a boy, it looked like Minho. Newt sat next to her with a worried expression.

"Tessa!" Newt yelped as she slowly got up and groaned, one hand over her ribs.

"Hi there," she muttered. Clint rushed forward and shoved a cup of water and pills into her hand.

"Drink up. The pills will help with the pain," he smiled before returning to bandage Minho's hand. As soon as he was done, Clint left the room to the three. Newt smiled at her weakly and brushed a hand through his long blonde hair.

"How are you feeling?" Newt said after she'd managed to prop herself up without feeling a constant stabbing pain in her back. The pain slowly ebbed away as she swallowed the pills and gulped down the rest of the water.

Tessa patted Newt's hand and said, "Well, I've certainly be better. But I've definitely learned something from this."

Newt chuckled before saying, "And what would that be?"

"Lincoln is an asshole. And, I'm starting to think that I'm not really as badass as I thought I was," she sighed and closed her eyes for a second. Maybe fighting and yelling with Lincoln wasn't such a great idea. Tessa missed Nick who could always handle things so well.

"Yes, Lincoln is certainly a bloody asshole," Newt gave her a smile. "But you're still pretty darn amazing, Tessa."

"What was I thinking? I can't be a leader. I'm certainly not ready for anything like that again; I think I'll stick with being a Runner," Tessa sighed.

Minho was the one who replied that time. He firmly clasped his hand over hers and said, "Tessa, we needed a leader. Maybe you aren't the best choice we've got right now, maybe you are. But you were trying to do the right thing. You were trying to reunite our family and make us strong again." Before she could help herself, she learned forward and planted a small kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you, Min," she whispered before falling back to sleep.

* * *

She was shivering when she woke up. Tessa opened her eyes and found that it was dark; there was no one in the hut. She turned her head to the right to find a bowl of soup, water, and yay, more pills. She gulped down the pills and water before eating the soup, which was now slightly cold.

A large pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt was neatly folded on the chair next to her; after glancing around to make sure no one was there, she changed into them. After discarding her old clothes by her sleeping bag and other belongings, Tessa went to the bathroom to brush her teeth, comb her hair, and clean up.

The crooked mirror clearly showed her how she looked; greasy brown hair, dirt smudged face, and bags under her eyes. After digging through her bag, she find a small towel and cleaned herself up as best as she could.

After Tessa left the bathroom, feeling much cleaner and refreshed, she went to find Gally. Something had happened over night, but Tessa couldn't shake the feeling he was in trouble. And even though she couldn't remember much, Tessa knew that she loved her brother and didn't want anything bad to happen to him.

She found Gally sitting next to the Slammer, speaking quietly to the shank, Lincoln. Tying her hair back and composing herself, Tessa approached them with a neutral expression.

"Tessa!" Gally scrambled to his feet and brushed off the dirt on his pants. She fiddled around with the strings on her sweatshirt while she waited for Gally to say something.

"Can we talk?" her brother said, staring down at his shoes.

"Yeah. Yeah, we need to talk," Tessa said and followed her brother to the fire. The flames were still billowing even in the night, and Tessa accepted the warmth gratefully.

"Are you cold?" Gally asked, sitting down next to her.

She shook her head and said, "I am sorry for fighting, Gally. I'm trying here…it's just…"

"I get it. I just wish you could trust these people," Gally said, gazing at the dancing flames and leaned back.

"I trust…some. But I have a feeling that this trust issue isn't coming out of nowhere; I think somewhere in the past, something went wrong. I can't shake that feeling," Tessa said, burrowing her face into her hands. "God damn it!"

Gally awkwardly patted her back before saying, "We're all frustrated, Tessa. And I'm sorry too that I wasn't that understanding."

"Yeah. I just wish we could remember what it was like before, what we were like before. What were our parents like? Did they love us?" Tessa leaned back and stared up at the starless, dark sky.

"They had to. We're their children," Gally reassured her.

"So why were you talking to Lincoln?" Tessa said.

"Trying to figure out why he hurt you, in a more diplomatic way," Gally grinned.

"What?"

"Minho punched him earlier today," he laughed. "I have to say, I thought you were going to pick Newt."

Tessa turned her head and squinted at him, "What? I'm not picking anyone. This isn't the time for that."

"Really? Because Minho certainly has been happy ever since you kissed him," Gally replied, doing his best to hide a smirk.

She scoffed, "He is like a brother to me, Gally. You all are. Besides, I need to focus on helping us get out of this hell hole."

"Okay, sure," Gally grinned. "You keep telling yourself that."

"Gally," Tessa said after a while.

Her brother, sounding like he was half asleep, looked over at her and said, "Yeah?"

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

* * *

Minho refused to let her run. "Come on!" Tessa frowned. "I want to help. I'm fine."

"Tessa," Minho grabbed her shoulders. "Clint told me you banged up your back pretty bad and one of the best ways to fix that is to rest. Rest!" So, Minho was right; her back ached like hell, and Tessa knew that Clint was right, but she couldn't just sit there. But she also knew that Minho would never let her run.

"Fine. But what am I supposed to do while you are out running by yourself?" Tessa sighed, plopping herself down on Minho's bed.

"Rest," he replied simply. "And when I come back, I expect to see you sitting down or sleeping, not wandering around the Glade trying to help." She rolled her eyes and nodded. "Besides," Minho continued, "I'm not alone. Newt's running with me."

"He is?" Tessa stood up.

"Yeah. Ever since you gave your oh so inspiring speech, the shank got his shit together along with most of the other Gladers," Minho grinned and pulled his pack onto his back.

"Good luck," Tessa said as Minho started heading to the Maze doors. He waved and winked at her in response, nudged Newt, and ran into the Maze. "Good luck," she whispered again and went to eat breakfast.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

Quote: "You're the true alpha! Guess what, not all of us can be true alphas! Some of us have to make mistakes! Some of us have to get our hands a little bloody sometimes! Some of us are human!" -Stiles (Teen Wolf)


	11. Left, Right

**Chapter 11**

 **Left, Right**

After helping Frypan clean up in the kitchen, Tessa went to find Alby, who she hadn't spoken with in quite a long time. She found him scrunched over a construction plan with her brother, sweat pouring down them in the heat.

"Hey," she called before waving a hand in front of their concentrating faces. Gally smiled at her but continued to draw on the paper, but Alby turned around to face her.

"Morning, Tessa," Alby said in his usual, low serious face.

"How are you?" she said nonchalantly. Alby shrugged and turned back to Gally and continued working. Tessa pulled her greasy hair back into a ponytail and jogged back to her sleeping bag and pile of clothes. She washed a couple shirts and shorts before taking a soothing shower.

Tessa met Minho at the Doors; her Runner's watch fit comfortably on her wrist. Then again, she didn't even know if she was still a Runner. Glancing at her watch again, Tessa squinted into the Maze and took several steps forward.

"Something's wrong," she heard someone say behind her and turned to see a very worried looking Alby.

"Yeah. The Doors should be closing in a couple minutes; Minho always gets back fifteen minutes before the Door closes. Unless..." her voice trailed off, and Tessa took another couple tentative steps forward. Alby gripped her arm and shook his head.

"Minho knows the Maze better than anyone, even Newt. If the two are late, it's for a pretty good reason," Alby did his best to reassure her, but his normally cool and collected voice had a slight shake to it. Tessa closed her eyes and listened; she couldn't hear anything that resembled the sound of boot's pounding against the concrete or heavy breathing. It was silent.

A few other Gladers joined them; among them were Clint, Jeff, and Gally. Her brother nudged her as he stood next to her.

"They'll make it back," Gally reassured her.

"How do you know?" she snapped. Pulling a hand through her hair, she almost screamed when the Doors started to close.

Gally didn't seem offended; he smiled almost sadly at her and said, "Because they would never leave you." A tear rolled down her cheek and she brushed it away quickly. The doors were shuddering close and Minho and Newt were still gone.

"I'm sorry, Gally," Tessa whispered.

"For what?" Gally said, a confused expression on his face. Just as the truth dawned on him, Tessa was already racing past Alby and her friends and into the Maze. The last thing she heard before she dove through the doors was the sound of her brother screaming her name.

* * *

The ground was cold and her head hurt from falling. Brushing herself off, Tessa checked her boots and pockets for anything that could help her survive the night. Her running pack had been left behind along with her other valuables. Tessa's stomach growled as she thought of Frypan's food. She had two knives tucked into her boots and another small one stuck in her shorts pocket. The cold at night was another problem. All she had were long socks that barely warmed her up to her knees; a cotton white shirt, black shorts, and an unbuttoned plaid shirt.

And if that wasn't enough, the Grievers would be out soon. Tessa sighed and started jogging. She had a long night ahead of her.

Tessa had just rounded the corner when a Griever appeared; the sky suddenly seemed too dark and fear flowed through her. Tessa forced herself to reach down and pull a knife free from her boot; it shook in her hand and her mind was blank. The Griever had a almost spider like body but with more blades and much bigger. It bore down over her like an avenging, terrifying, angel.

The voice in her head kept screaming, "Move!" but she felt paralyzed. Just as a Griever claw slashed at her, she came to her senses and ducked. Tessa swung her knife and scratched the side of the Griever. Unfazed, the Griever did a strange run, forward and then to the side and then back to her. And then she realized that these things, the Grievers, despite being fast, could not turn so well.

Taking the smaller knife from her pocket, she balanced it in her hand, waiting as the Griever came close. She threw it and by sheer luck, the knife landed in one of the Griever's eyes. It squealed in pain and shuddered. Tessa didn't wait to die; she turned and ran...right into a stinger of another Griever.

* * *

When Tessa woke up, she somehow knew she was no longer in the Maze. But what confused her most was that she couldn't feel the pain of the sting she was supposed to feel. Minho had told her repeatedly to never let a Griever sting her; though you would survive with the serum, the pain was unbearable when going through the Changing.

Her brown hair tickled her shoulders and her nose; the smell of lemon soap was in the air. A white comforter covered her legs and she was dressed in a white long-sleeved shirt and grey thin sweat pants.

She tossed the cover aside and stood up; her bare feet were cold against the hard ground but she kept moving until she found her exit. Tessa pulled open the large grey colored door and found herself stepping into a long hallway.

She tensed as a hand tapped her shoulder from behind; Tessa turned around to see a orange-haired lady with a square shaped face, dark eyes, and pink lipstick. The woman smiled at Tessa and said, "I'm glad you're finally awake, Tessa. Follow me, please."

"Where am I? Who are you?" she demanded, taking several steps back.

The woman smiled again and patted her hair, "I'm Jenna. As for where you are,...I think it'd be better if someone...someone else explained it to you. Come along, now." Seeing as it was her only choice, Tessa followed Jenna. The floor was freezing and she hugged herself. Tessa wondered what Minho was doing...Minho. She hadn't gotten to say good-bye to him or Newt. Were they okay?

Tessa counted and kept track of the turns they took; left, right, left, left, left, right...Tessa closed her eyes for a second and recalled the time when Minho was first explaining the rules of the Maze to her.

 _"Are you even listening, Tessa?" Minho asked her, his muscular arms crossed across his chest._

 _"Huh? Oh yeah," Tessa smiled at him and leaned back against the table._

 _"No, you're not," Minho took a step towards her and faked a frown._

 _She rolled her eyes and said, "Just get on with it, Min."_

 _Minho glared at her before saying, "If you ever get lost, keep track of all the turns there are. Right, left, right...whatever. This will keep you from being lost, and being lost will make you late. And being late will kill you, princess."_

 _"I think I'll be fine, Minho. Besides, I'm faster than you and Newt," Tessa smiled sweetly at him._

Jenna had stopped walking. She stood in front of another large grey door but this time, a large gold colored plaque hung next to it. In fancy letters were the words, Chancellor Ava Paige.

"Who's this?" Tessa asked. Jenna ignored her and pushed open the door. Cautiously, Tessa followed her through the door and found herself in an office. A desk piled high with folders was in the center and a blonde woman most likely in her fifties was sitting in the desk chair. Her faint red-pink lipstick colored her lips and her thin hair was pulled back into a tight bun, much like Jenna's.

"Here she is, ma'm. I found her right outside her room," Jenna almost bowed at the women and smiled.

"Thank you, Jenna. You are dismissed," the women's voice was cool and sounded bored. Jenna scurried out the room and quickly locked the door behind her.

"Why did she lock that?" Tessa demanded, easing her way back to the door.

The women stood up and brushed off invisible crumbs from her spotless white lab coat. She had on black dress pants and a red sweater underneath. The women smiled and motioned for Tessa to sit.

"No. What do you want with me?" she growled.

"To talk. Sit down, Tessa. We don't have much time."

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry it's so late!**

Quote: "You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." -Harvey Dent (The Dark Knight)


	12. A Special Kind of Poison

**Chapter 12**

 **A Special Kind of Poison**

Gally stared blankly at the Maze doors as they slammed shut. He slammed his fist against the stony wall and screamed. His sister, his only family was gone. She'd never survive a night in the Maze.

"Come on, Gally," he heard Alby say behind him and felt a warm hand on his shoulder.

"What?" he snapped. "We have to do something!"

Alby frowned before saying, "What are we supposed to do, Gally? The Doors are closed. There's nothing we can do."

* * *

"My name is Ava Paige. I am the head of WICKD," the women told her, folding her hands and placing them on top of a folder.

"Okay? Great, now let me leave," Tessa growled, still refusing to sit.

Ava chuckled and smiled, "No can do. I need you for testing. You're, how should I say this...our only hope."

Tessa slammed her palms down on the desk and glared at Ava, "I am not some sick experiment. I am not your pet." She stepped away from Ava, breathing heavily.

"My apologies, Tessa. But there's nothing you can do about it. We've got you back now; you have no chance of escape again."

Tessa backed away again, "I found a way out once. I can do it again."

"Yes, but that was when you knew this place. You don't even have your memory, much less any idea of how to get out of here," Ava smiled again. She stood up and shrugged of her lab coat, placing it on her chair neatly.

"Let me tell you something, child. You have no power here. We have your friends, Newt and Minho," Ava took a step towards her, her heels clicking against the ground. "I'm sure we can have something arranged."

"If you touch them," Tessa growled.

"If you agree to some...experiments, we'll set them back into the Maze. No worries, child. I've planned this all out," Ava patted her bun before she pressed a button on her desk and two buff men appeared.

"Now, do we have an agreement or not? I'm sure you would hate it if the deaths of your two best friends were on your hands," Ava smiled up at her. Tessa was nearly as tall as Minho, around five foot ten, but this women who wasn't even up to her chin scared her more than anything.

Tessa slapped Ava on instinct and smiled maliciously as she saw the blonde women on the ground, grasping her face, "Wanna say that again, bitch?" Tessa snarled as the men grabbed her by the arms and held her back.

Ava got up unsteadily and wiped away the blood that had started to form, "Well?"

"Go to hell," Tessa spat, spun and kicked at the guards. They fell on the ground, groaning, before more men ran into the room and grabbed her. They pinned her to the wall and wrapped hard bonds on her legs and arms.

"I forgot," Ava said, walking towards her. "Edgar taught you how to fight. I'm sure you'll be happy to know that he's still alive." Ava handed a silver colored box to one of the men and nodded.

"Maybe she needs a taste of physical pain," Ava grinned wickedly and stepped back as the man opened the box and pulled out a knife, sharper than any of the blades in the Glade.

"Nothing you do is gonna make me help you," Tessa spat and squirmed. Well, nothing except Minho and Newt dying. But she had a feeling that Ava hadn't killed them yet for a reason. The man frowned and stared at her before slashing her arm with the knife. Tessa did her best to stifle her scream, but she couldn't it help it. Ava seemed to enjoy her ear-splitting screams.

"That knife was laced with a special kind of poison that I had one of our scientists conjure up for you; it'll be pretty damn painful, but it won't kill you," Ava grinned and stepped forward.

"Now, what do you say? Will your friends die? Or do you want your friends to die?" the blonde women said, folding her hands in front of her and smiling.

"You won't hurt them...my friends. You need them for whatever sick game you're playing," Tessa spat. Her eyes watered in pain, the poison seemed to be seeping into her arms and legs. They couldn't stop shaking and her head felt as if someone was hitting it with a hammer.

"True. But you'll soon learn to bend. That poison isn't the only thing that we've got," Ava replied before nodding to the man who reached into his pocket and pulled out a needle. He whispered in her ear the word that she never expected to hear, "sorry," before pushing the needle into her arm. Agonizing pain spread through her entire body and soon she crumbled to the ground and didn't wake up for a long time.

* * *

The doors of the Maze slowly creaked open. Gally stood there with his arms crossed across his chest; Clint and Frypan stood next to him, fidgeting.

"They'll be there. They have to be," Clint whispered and patted Gally on the arm. Gally nodded in return; he took a step forward and waited for the doors to finally creek open. There were two bodies waiting for them; Newt and Minho. But where was Tessa? Gally immediately ran to his friends and started pulling them back into the safety of the Glade.

"They're alive!" Clint screamed to an approaching, shocked Alby. "They're still breathing. I can feel their pulse." Gally stood up and started walking back to the Maze. He had to find his sister. He had to.

A strong hand stopped him. It was Frypan, "Sorry, buddy. There's nothing we can do. There's nothing we can do to save her. Tessa's gone."

* * *

Mariah had been working at WICKD for what seemed like forever; her cousin, Jenna had finally arrived at the main headquarters a month ago. Her room was small and tidy, just like every other room at WICKD. She had her own bathroom with a shower, toilet, sink, and mirror, but nothing else besides a bed and dresser for the few clothes she owned.

Mariah brushed her orange hair before pulling it back into a tight bun, the signature hairstyle for women at WICKD. She pulled on black dress pants and a red sweater before departing her room with a white lab coat in her hand. She put it on just before entering the office of their chancellor, Ava Paige.

"Excuse me, Ma'm?" she said before fully entering the room.

She heard a chair scooting back and then, "Come in, Mariah."

"Good morning," Mariah said cheerfully before sitting down in the chair in front of Ava's desk.

Ava smiled warmly at her; ever since Mariah had arrived at WICKD, she had become Ava's personal assistant. They had shared a relationship similar to that of a loving aunt and sweet child. Except, Ava was clearly not the most "loving" person in the world, and Mariah couldn't remember the last time she had been truly happy.

"What do you want me to do, today? Monitor the control room? Look after Peter; he's been fooling around again," Mariah said. Peter was probably the most obnoxious person she'd ever met.

"No, Mariah. I have a special task for you today," Ava smiled, coldly. "You were trained by Edgar, is that correct? And I believe that you were his first student?"

Mariah nodded and replied, "Yes, why?"

"Do you remember a girl who we named Tessa?" Ava said, folding her hands on top of her desk.

Mariah thought for a minute before saying slowly, "Yes...Brown hair, kind of tall, bad attitude?" Ava chuckled at her description before nodding.

"I want you to look after her today. Here's her folder; read it all carefully," Ava instructed her before sliding a crisp yellow folder across her desk. Mariah flipped it open and saw a picture of the girl lying on an operating room table. Bunches of paper had been neatly put into the flaps.

Mariah had started to leave when Ava stopped her, "Mariah...this girl, she's quiet capable of taking a lot of people down..." For the first time ever, Ava seemed uneasy. Mariah laughed before reassuring her boss.

"I think I can handle her," she told Ava before heading towards the door.

"I know," Ava called. "But read the folder; you'll be surprised at what she's capable of."

* * *

 **Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Last week I was completely bombarded with tests, ugh, but luckily I made it through! What do you guys think of the new character, Mariah? Oh, and I would also like to put in a couple new characters, but I was wondering if you guys would enter in some OCs. It would be super great! Please let me know what you thought about this chapter, what I need to work on, etc..etc..**

Quote: "Not everyone is Harrison Wells. Besides, you defeated him because you trusted in people, because you believed them. This team that you have here? They will follow your lead. They will do what you say. But if they think that you don't believe in them, it won't be long before they don't believe in you." -Iris West (The Flash)


	13. Immortality

**Chapter 13**

 **Immortality**

 **I'm giving you guys a heads up right now. This chapter (late again) is super confusing and I'm sorry. But there will be an explanation at the end if you guys want to read it. Ok here it goes.**

Tessa woke up in chains; literal unbreakable chains bounded her to a soft white bed and a thick white comforter. She was able to push herself into a sitting position and found herself staring at a girl who looked a lot like Jenna. Well, except for the fact that this women had a cruel smile, wore a skin-tight sort of fighting suit, and had various guns and knives hanging from her belt.

"Morning," the women grinned and plopped herself down at the foot of Tessa's bed. Tessa growled and attempted to kick the Jenna look alike, but failed; chains bounded her legs too.

"Hey, that's not nice," the women said and leaned back a little as if she was planning to rest there for a while. "The name's Mariah, by the way. Ava sent me here to watch over you! Isn't that great?"

Tessa spat, "Get off my leg, bitch."

"Language," Mariah scolded before patting Tessa's leg. "You'll soon realize that I'm not the bad guy, well woman here. I'm actually quite nice; in my free time I enjoy target practice, catching up on the latest news, and eating pizza." Mariah grinned again.

Tessa took a deep breath and closed her eyes before saying, "What do you want?"

Mariah patted Tessa's cheek and grinned wickedly, "Ava wants me to persuade you to help us."

"And how am I supposed to help you?" Tessa raised her eyebrows. Her hand slowly shifted under the covers and she gripped the end of the chain. She had to keep Mariah distracted. A plan formed in her mind; Tessa didn't know how she knew, but she had a vague memory of how to get out of chains.

"Experimentation," Mariah said before leaning back and propping her feet up on the bed right next to Tessa's face. Tessa growled but kept working at the chain, slowly and cautiously. She had a feeling Mariah wouldn't hesitate to cut off her hand.

"Experimentation for what?" Tessa asked. Her hand finally reached the very bottom of the chain. Tessa searched for the small button, running her fingers along the chain holder.

"To understand you. You do realize that you're pretty damn special. Let's see...you're able to get your memories back by breaking through the Swipe and you're a pretty good fighter and one more thing, dear," Mariah said before gripping Tessa's arm. Tessa slowly pulled her other hand away from the chain holder, despair flowing through her. But it seemed as if Mariah didn't know that Tessa had been trying to escape.

No, Mariah leaned forward and whispered in Tessa's ear, "You're immortal."

* * *

Newt had thought he'd known what real pain was before waking up on a cold white table with chains all over his body and his head burning. He groaned and turned his head to the right. He saw Minho struggling as well.

"Min?" he called.

Minho turned to Newt before saying, "Where the shuck are we?"

"I have no idea," Newt managed to say. It felt like someone was whacking him with a hammer. "Min, my head is killing me. What about you?"

Minho coughed for what seemed like ten minutes before saying, "Same. My throat burns too. Oh shit, man, are we dying?" Newt managed to shake his head the burning in his head was starting to become unbearable. Newt groaned and closed his eyes. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was a girl with thick dark hair smiling at him while running into the Maze.

* * *

"You're lying," Tessa spat. It didn't make any sense; if Tessa was immortal how was she still aging? If Tessa was immortal, how did Mariah know that? How could anyone know that?

Mariah seemed to have read her mind, "No, I'm not. You see, this is why we need you for experimentation. You're immune to the Flare! We need to find out how, now that we know why."

"Wait! What the hell is the Flare?" Tessa managed to say. A million questions flowed through her mind all at once.

"Can't tell you that, darling," Mariah grinned at her before standing up and picking up the file folder. "All you need to know is that millions will be saved if you do this. You could be a hero, doll." Mariah flicked a piece of hair out of her face and then tossed the file folder on the table in the corner.

"Why couldn't you just tell me this before?" Tessa growled. If Tessa knew she would be able to save so many people, she would have said yes right away.

Mariah crossed her arms over her chest, "So is that a yes?"

Tessa wanted to nod, but something kept nagging at her. Ava must have withheld this information from her for a reason, but why? And if Mariah said that she could get her memories back, why didn't Tessa know what the Flare was? Why didn't she know anything?

"Don't worry," Mariah smiled coldly at her. "I'll let you sleep on it, but perhaps...," the orange-haired women trailed off. Mariah opened a drawer before pulling out a long needle and grabbing Tessa's arm.

"No!" she yelled, trying to twist away from Mariah.

"We just need to take some precautions," Mariah said before plunging the needle into Tessa's arms. Tessa could feel her eyes start to droop and her body went slack.

Before everything went dark, Tessa managed to say, "For what?"

"To make sure you don't remember," Mariah whispered and then Tessa finally closed her eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

Where was she? Tessa opened her eyes and saw a blonde-haired boy and a dark haired boy staring down at her. She groaned and tried to move but found herself bound to the bed she lay in.

"Tessa! Tessa!" she heard the dark-haired boy say. She didn't know how he knew her name; then again, she couldn't seem to remember anything, except for her name.

"Do something!" she heard the dark-haired boy scream at some invisible person. Tessa heard a door open and then close; she soon felt the chains being removed and was able to sit up. She felt a sharp pain in her arm and minutes later was able to function correctly.

When her head cleared, memory after memory flowed into Tessa's head. She remembered laughing with her friends, working at a computer at WICKD, and Minho holding her in the Glade.

"I'm sorry I didn't come here earlier," a man's voice sad. Tessa rubbed her eyes until her vision cleared; in front of her stood a middle aged man with sandy hair and a kind smile. "My name's Edgar, but you should remember that now?"

"How did you do it?" Tessa stood up, Newt took a step closer to her, as if he thought she would collapse.

"Ava's kept me alive because not only did I teach her best contestants how to fight; I'm also a scientist. I secretly created that to clear any remnants of the Swipe in your system," Edgar said before taking a seat down in the chair next to the bed.

Minho took a step forward and said, "I'm confused as hell right now. What do you mean Swipe? And where are we?"

Edgar frowned almost sadly before saying, "I'm sorry, gentlemen. But I can't help you. My only priority is helping Tessa. I'm quite sorry but I must do this." Edgar pulled two syringes out of his pocket, jammed them into Minho and Newt, and swiftly caught them with surprising strength before they fell.

"What was that!" Tessa screamed, backing away.

"I had to. They must return to the Glade," Edgar said before pushing Minho and Newt up onto the bed, where they lay like corpses. The sight scared the shit out of Tessa.

"Who are you? Why can I remember everything else, but not you?" Tessa stuttered.

"Because you didn't really know who I was before. I was only your fighting instructor," Edgar replied.

"What do I do know?" Tessa asked, in almost an inaudible whisper.

"I will make an agreement with Ava; if you go back in the Glade with no memory of your journey here, then I won't destroy WICKD," Edgar said casually.

"But I wasn't supposed to be in the Glade to begin with. All I remember is running and...I can't remember," Tessa groaned. Edgar sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"I feared that my work would not last longer than an hour. No matter, it has proven to be very powerful," Edgar said, ignoring Tessa's confused expression.

"You said something about WICKD?" Tessa managed to say; her brain felt like someone was hitting it with a mallet.

"Yes, I'd tell you, but you won't remember. Don't worry, Tessa. You'll be safe," Edgar reassured her as Tessa felt her knees hit the ground.

"Safe from what? Why shouldn't Ava experiment on me?" Tessa managed to say. Her vision was darkening, her breathing was ragged.

"Safe from death. Tessa, if Ava experiments on you, you'll die."

* * *

 **Ok so first off, Tessa is somehow immortal. (That doesn't necessarily mean that Gally is too.) I'll go into this some more, don't worry. Edgar was her fighting instructor before she went into the Glade; there's more to him too. Anyway, so Ava wants to operate on Tessa because Tessa is immortal and immune to the Flare. Edgar came up with some sort of shot that clears up the Swipe in Tessa's brain, but it only lasts up to an hour. So, Tessa won't remember any of this when she gets sent back to the Glade. (Edgar is going to strike a deal with Ava. He's pretty damn cool.) Newt and Minho were supposed to be used as sort of persuasion, idk, I'm sorry guys this was such a crappy chapter. I'm being murdered with homework and tests. If you have questions please ask, and let me know what you guys think of my new characters. I'll work on developing them more next chapter, if possible.**

Quote: "We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are." -Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.


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